The New Guy
by Red Witch
Summary: The bizzare sequel to 'Electric Dreams! You've all read those 'new mutant on the team' fics right? But what happens when the new teammate is human? Find out when the Misfits finally get some new teammates! R&R all the insanity!
1. This Is Our New Recruit?

**Here we go, the strange and even more bizarre sequel to 'Electric Dreams'! Definitely not your average 'New person on the team' fic! What happens when a human becomes part of team of mutants? What indeed? Will he be accepted…or will he be crazy enough to fit right in? **

**The New Guy**

**Chapter One: This is Our New Recruit?**

"Are you serious?" Pietro asked. The Misfit kids were all sitting around the kitchen having dessert. 

"That's what Jamie told Trinity in his last e-mail," Lance said. "They have two new recruits." 

"Yeah and I heard that that Angel dude has now moved into the mansion too," Todd grumbled. 

"How?" Lance asked. "None of us have talked to those geeks in weeks!" 

"Trinity yo," Todd said. "She and Jamie are the only ones who communicate regularly. 

"Great now we're outnumbered again!" Pietro snapped. "This is so unfair! How come we never get new people?"

"We got Xi," Fred pointed out. "And we got Beaky."

"Oh yeah Beaky big deal," Pietro rolled his eyes. "He's still in diapers for crying out loud! What's he gonna do? Drool on the enemy? YEOWWWW!" He yelled when Barney bit his finger. 

"Well that'll work," Althea smirked. 

"Yeah but we need somebody who can do more than take down my brother," Wanda told her. 

"Well anybody can do that," Lance grinned.

"I'm still in the room here!" Pietro snapped. 

Roadblock walked into the room. "What's up kids?" 

"Roadblock we've all been talking," Althea said. "We seriously need to get some new recruits."

"Yeah those X-Nerds are taking them all!" Fred called out. 

"Well," Roadblock sighed. "Not all of them. We just got somebody."

"That's great!" Lance pumped his fist. "What are his powers?"

"Um…he doesn't have any," Roadblock sighed.

"What?" Pietro asked. "What kind of mutant is he?"

"Actually…he's not exactly a mutant….he's uh…human," Roadblock said.

"Oh you mean another adult has been assigned to us," Althea said. "Great."

"Not exactly," Roadblock sighed.

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?" Althea asked. 

"He's a recruit," Roadblock sighed. 

"He's a what?" Lance asked. Then he turned and saw who was behind him. "I don't believe this." 

"Uh…hi guys," Arcade gulped. 


	2. Why Am I Here?

**Why am I Here?**

"Roadblock," Pietro asked later. "This is a mutant team right? Then why the heck is a human going to be put on our team? How did that happen?"

"One of his relatives is a big wig in the Pentagon," Roadblock explained. "Well he heard about our program and decided to pop the kid in as part of an experiment."

"What kind of experiment?" Lance raised an eyebrow.

"Part of our goal is to teach you kids how to co exist with humans," Roadblock said. "Well they decided to put that goal to the test."

"You saying the kid's some kind of guinea pig?" Todd asked. 

"So if we accidentally kill him there's gonna be problems?" Pietro folded his arms.

"That's not funny Pietro," Wanda said.

"It wasn't meant to be," Pietro said. "For all we know he could be a spy of some kind." 

"He's not a spy just give it a try!" Roadblock said. "I don't want you kids teasing that kid, understand?"

"Yeah we got it," Pietro waved. When Roadblock left the room he grumbled. "Wonderful. Just what we need around here! We Misfits can't do anything right! When we finally do get a team member, it's a human! This is just great!" 

"I don't see the big deal," Althea said. "Technically we're already integrated with humans. What's one more?" 

"Yeah but this guy is going to be part of our team," Pietro said. "We need to know we can count on him in a fight."

"We can never count on you and you're still here," Todd said. 

"Are you guys **ever** going to forgive me for siding with Magneto back then?" Pietro snapped. 

"Forgive we did that a while back," Lance said. "Forget never." 

"Yeah and we should give him a chance especially after he really kicked the X-Men's butts," Daria said.

"What was that?" Lance raised an eyebrow. "Could you run that by me again?" 

"It was all in Jamie's last e-mail," Brittany explained. They told the whole story to the amazed Misfits. 

"Back up," Pietro said. "Are you telling me this guy took over Cerebro, kicked the X-Men out of their own mansion and beat the crap out of them? And on top of it he managed to blow up Cerebro? I may have judged him too quickly." 

"Yeah anybody who ticks the X-Geeks off as much as we do can't be all bad," Fred remarked. 

"Hey didn't you guys go to school with him?" Althea asked.

"I don't really remember him much," Lance said. "He hung around Kitty a couple of times in class but it was pretty obvious he preferred computers to people."

"He wasn't so bad," Todd remarked. "We hung out in detention a couple of times. He seemed pretty nice." 

"Yeah but that was before he knew you were a mutant," Pietro pointed out. "And I have a feeling that he's not exactly happy to be around mutants now. Especially after what he's been through." 

************************************************************************

_Why am I here? Is this some kind of sick joke? _Arcade thought to himself as he sat on his bed. _It's bad enough my parents didn't want me anymore…well they've never wanted me but that's besides the point. I mean they could have sent me away to boarding school or something. _

But no, they had to stick me here with a bunch of freaks. 

So what does that make me? I mean I might as well be a mutant the way people have always treated me. Just because I happen to be smarter than everyone else. 

So I'm a freak among freaks. Perfect. 

Maybe I could run away?

To where genius? Let's face it, you're not exactly streetwise. Wouldn't last two minutes out there. 

But I don't belong here. I don't belong anywhere.

My life is going to be hell. I know it.

Arcade sat up and decided to try and find the bathroom. He was dreading his first beating. He opened the door and wondered if there was a way to go there unseen.

That's when he saw a pair of gold serpentine eyes staring right at him. 

Arcade did what came naturally in this situation. He screamed. 

**Short I know, but it will get better. Trust me. Next Arcade begins to get to know the Misfits. **


	3. First Steps Towards Friendship

**First Steps Towards Friendship**

Arcade was completely freaked out by the sight of the strange scaled mutant in front of him. "What do you want?" Arcade choked. 

"You are alone aren't you?" Xi asked.

"So?" Arcade tried to be brave. "I don't belong here! I'm not a freak like you!"

"There are no other freaks like me," Xi told him. "All the others are dead."

"What?" Arcade was taken aback. 

"I was created in a lab with several others," Xi explained. "We were created to be assassins. Weapons. We rebelled. I was the only one that survived."

"Oh…" Arcade didn't know how to respond to this. 

"I know what it is like to be alone and abandoned," Xi explained. "To have people turn on you. To feel totally hopeless and alone. To be different than everyone else."

"Yeah but you're still a mutant like the others," Arcade pointed out.

"There is a difference," Xi told him. "I was created without a gender. I am neither male nor female." 

"So you're…?" Arcade raised his eyebrows. 

"Yes," Xi nodded. "Although everyone uses the male pronouns to describe me, I am not like them at all." 

Arcade thought for a second. It never occurred to him that even among mutants there would be those so strange they would be considered even more of a freak than the others would. "So I guess not all mutants are the same am I right?"

Xi nodded. "You're afraid of us aren't you?" 

"Well…yeah!" Arcade said. "Can you blame me?" 

"I used to fear humans a long time ago," Xi said. "Because what they did to me. Can you blame me?" 

"Yeah but not all humans are like that."

"And not all mutants are like the X-Men," Xi pointed out. 

"Sounds like a cliché to me," Arcade remarked. 

"But he does have a point," Lance said as the Misfit boys walked in. 

"Oh man I'm gonna get beat up aren't I?" Arcade gulped.

"Nah we save that for the third day you're here," Pietro remarked. 

"Look I'm gonna be straight up with you," Lance said. "Most of us have been used a lot by humans. We're not all that crazy about the majority of them but we've learned that there are a lot of good ones out there. But it's hard for us to trust just anyone. I gotta know this; do you really hate mutants? I mean besides the X-Men?"

"Well…" Arcade thought. "In general…I don't really think so. I mean, hate isn't the right word for how I feel. I mean, I knew a guy who was bit by a pit bull once but he loved his own dog. That didn't come out right."

"Well it is an apt description," Xi said. 

"I don't really know any other kinds of mutants except what I see on TV," Arcade shrugged. "And the X-Men." 

"Oh man we really are in trouble," Todd shook his head. 

"I guess you hate me because of what I did to the X-Men huh?" Arcade asked. 

"Not really no," Lance told him. 

"Actually the fact that you really gave it to the X-Men gives you quite a few points in our book," Pietro remarked. "Let's just say we're not on the best of terms with them lately." 

"Gee I can't imagine why," Arcade said sarcastically. "Stuck up jerks."

"You got that right," Lance growled. 

"Think because they have all these powers and money they know everything," Arcade grumbled. "Won't even consider anyone else's opinions."

"Welcome to our world," Todd said. 

"Stupid Xavier," Arcade grumbled. "Thinks he's the lord of the universe or something…" 

"Hey I'm liking this guy more and more already," Fred grinned. 

"AND IT'S THEIR FAULT CEREBRO'S DEAD!" He shouted.

"What?" Pietro made a face. 

"They killed her…" Arcade started to sob. 

"Her?" Lance blinked.

"If they'd only listened to me she'd still be alive! Why oh why did she have to die?" Arcade howled. "You believe me right? You believe that Cerebro was alive?"

"Yes," Fred said simply. "Yes we do." He looked at the others and mouthed the word 'cuckoo'. 

"I miss her so much!" Arcade cried. 

"Arcade let's take some nice deep cleansing breaths now shall we?" Todd asked, patting Arcade on the back. "There…there…" 

Lance and Pietro cautiously made their way out of the room. Althea and Wanda were outside. "So did you talk to him?" Althea asked. She heard Arcade crying. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Pietro protested. "He's crying over his dead girlfriend!"

"You mean Cerebro?" Wanda blinked. 

"For some reason he thinks Cerebro was in love with him," Lance remarked. "I knew the guy didn't have much of a social life but geeze…" 

"Okay now I get why he's here," Pietro sighed. "He's nuts."

"So are the rest of us," Lance said. 

"You have a point," Pietro said. "You know he might fit in here better than I thought." 


	4. Never Insult A Guy's Dead NonExistent Gi...

**Never Insult a Guy's Dead Non-Existent Girlfriend**

"Don't you just love a morning run?" Todd asked as he plopped down on the grass.

"With at least forty pounds strapped to your arms and legs, not particularly," Lance grumbled.

"Yeah some of us don't have enhanced strength like you and Blob," Wanda said. 

"I like it," Fred told them. "I have heavier weights but it makes me feel strong." 

"Well good for you," Pietro groaned. 

"Look at the bright side," Lance pointed as Arcade finally made his way towards them. "At least we ain't newbies like Arcade here." 

"Is it always this bad?" Arcade moaned as he collapsed. He lay flat on his back. "I'm gonna die…" 

"Don't worry you'll get used to it," Todd waved. 

"Get used to being dead? I can do that," Arcade moaned. 

"Aw don't cry so much ya little weenie," Pietro said.

"Look who's talking," Fred said. "You still complain that your arms are gonna grow down past your legs."

"Well they could!" Pietro told him. 

"Please tell me this is some kind of mutant stamina thing so I don't feel so bad about being a complete weakling…" Arcade moaned.

"Well maybe in Blob and Toad's case," Lance sighed. "But most of us don't have super strength. We've just been training longer than you." 

"Yes while you've been spending way too much time with your computers we have been conditioning our bodies," Pietro snickered. 

"What do you mean by that?" Arcade was immediately defensive.

"He doesn't mean anything," Todd remarked. "That's Quicksilver, saying stupid things that mean absolutely nothing!" He glared at Pietro. 

"I'm just saying that now that Cerebro is all blown up he can concentrate on other things," Pietro said. "Although how you can be attracted to a pile of circuits and wires is beyond me."

"Watch it…"Arcade got a dangerous glint in his eye. 

"Why don't you keep your mouth shut Pietro?" Fred snapped. "I know it's a new experience for you but try it will ya?" 

"What? I'm not saying anything! It's not my fault the guy is a little weirdo!" Pietro turned on him. "All I'm saying is that he's making up problems in his head. Moping over a so called girlfriend that never even existed!" 

"You stop that right now!" Arcade warned. 

"Or what?" Pietro scoffed, not paying attention to Arcade advancing on him. "You'll go write nasty letters on your word processor? Please! I mean I thought Xavier was a dork for hogging that dumb machine but at least he never got off on it!" 

"TAKE IT BACK!" Arcade shouted as he pounced on Pietro, slapping him fiercely. 

"Wow for a wimpy little dude he sure has a good back hand!" Fred remarked. 

"Ten bucks on Arcade!" Todd called out.

"You're on!" Lance shouted. 

"GET OFF ME YOU FOUR EYED FREAK!" Pietro shouted as he pulled away from Arcade. 

"Oh yeah that coming from a mutant really hurts!" Arcade said sarcastically.

"I'm gonna hurt you in two seconds you little dweeb!" Pietro snarled. 

"Bring it on!" Arcade shouted. "I took out the X-Men! I can take you out!" 

"Hey knock it off!" Fred shouted. "Pietro you ain't supposed to hit a guy with glasses! Okay Cyclops but that's a different story…" 

"Well then I'll take them off!" Pietro grabbed Arcade's glasses. 

"Give them back!" Arcade began to randomly swing his fists around. 

"Oh what's the matter?" Pietro laughed as he danced around Arcade. "Having trouble seeing?"

"Quicksilver give 'em back you jerk!" Althea shouted. 

"Give me back my glasses!" Arcade stumbled around. 

"See if you can find me first," Pietro laughed. Then he fell. "Hey!" 

"Oops," Todd rolled his eyes. "Did I trip you Pietro? My mistake." He grabbed the glasses with his tongue and whipped them back to Arcade. Then he 'accidentally' tripped Pietro as he tried to get up again. "Sorry! I did it again did I? HE'S OVER HERE ARCADE!" 

Arcade put on the goopy glasses and pounced on Pietro. "NOW YOU ARE GONNA DIE!" They rolled around on the ground while the Misfits watched the fight. 

"Now they're biting each other!" Wanda gasped.

"Man this is as good as a chick fight," Fred said. 

"HE SCRATCHED MY EAR! HE SCRATCHED MY EAR!" Pietro howled. "OW! MY EYE!" 

"Serves you right!" Arcade snapped. "OW! MY ARM!" 

"OW! NOT THE HAIR! NOT THE HAIR!" Pietro shouted as Arcade pulled on it. 

"OKAY WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" Low Light shouted as he, Spirit and Roadblock charged in. "BREAK IT UP! BREAK IT UP!" The adults started to pull the teens apart. 

"LET ME AT HIM!" Arcade struggled against Roadblock. "LET ME AT HIM!" 

"What happened here?" Spirit roared. 

"Arcade just beat up Pietro!" Todd told them. 

"He did not beat me up!" Pietro snapped. "He just surprised me that's all." 

"You started it!" Arcade shouted. "You called Cerebro names!"

"Cerebro?" Roadblock looked at him. "Oh…right. Cerebro." 

"You take back what you said about my dead girlfriend!" Arcade shouted at Pietro.

"Girlfriend?" Low Light blinked. "Did he just call Cerebro his girlfriend?" 

"Actually he called him his dead girlfriend," Fred told him. 

"Listen to this guy! He's nuts!" Pietro shouted.

"I know you are what am I?" Arcade taunted.

"See he's not making any sense!" Pietro snapped. 

"Well neither do you half the time," Todd remarked. 

"You wanna die too Wart Boy?" Pietro lunged at him but was held back by Low Light. 

"All right both of you, inside, NOW!" Roadblock shouted. He and Low Light took them off to the house.

"So what happened?" Spirit asked the others.

"It was Pietro's fault!" Wanda spoke up first.

"Yeah he had it coming!" Todd joined in. 

"Oh he's gonna get it I hope!" Lance said.

************************************************************************

After the others had finished training they went back to the house. "So?" Lance asked Trinity. "What happened?"

"Roadblock really yelled at 'em," Daria said.

"But mostly Pietro," Quinn said.

"They both have morning kitchen duty for a full week," Brittany said. "And they have to clean all the bathrooms here at home too. Every day." 

"Well that's not fair," Wanda frowned.

"There's more," Quinn grinned.

"Pietro also has to do extra training with the Blind Master for a week," Brittany said.

"And watch us as well," Daria smiled.

"Yikes," Todd cringed. 

"Well it serves him right," Althea huffed. "Wanda come on. I think the two of us need to have a little talk with your brother."

"I'm coming too," Lance followed them. "I can't wait to see him weasel out of this one." 

Wanda didn't even bother to knock before she slammed open the door. "Come in," Pietro said sarcastically. He was at the mirror looking at his black eye.

"Pietro we need to talk," Althea said. "Now!" She closed the door behind her. "What the hell was that all about today?" 

"Hey I didn't do anything," Pietro folded his arms. "He's the one who over reacted!" 

"After what you said? Were you purposely goading him into a fight or are you just stupid?" Lance asked. 

"How could you even think of insulting Cerebro like that!" Althea asked. "You know how much she meant to him."

"AM I THE ONLY SANE PERSON AROUND HERE? CEREBRO WAS ONLY A COMPUTER!" Pietro snapped. 

"I know that and you know that," Althea said. "But Arcade believes that she was real. So from now on Cerebro was a real person, got it?" 

"Yeah, yeah I got it," Pietro grumbled. He looked at his black eye. "Loud and clear."

"And I want you to apologize to him!" Wanda said. 

"Apologize?" Pietro snapped. He backed down when he saw the stares both Althea and Wanda gave him. "Okay, okay I'll do it. All right?" 

"Fine," Althea nodded. "And I don't need you giving him a hard time. Anybody who can take over Cerebro like he did has got to be a good asset to the team. Be nice to him!" 

"Fine I'll be nice to the crazy little goon," Pietro grumbled.

"Look who's talking," Wanda pointed. "You're not exactly the model of sanity yourself!"

"Hey I got issues!" Pietro snapped.

"Duh," Althea said. 

"So does Arcade," Wanda said. "His own parents disowned him and he's not even a mutant! How do you think that makes him feel?" 

"Well he can certainly handle himself," Pietro folded his arms. "Even without powers that guy ain't exactly helpless! He was just lucky I was holding back, that's all." 

"He also has feelings!" Althea snapped. "Would it really hurt you to mind them?" 

"And if you don't mind them we'll hurt you," Lance growled. "Got it?" 

"What the hell do you care about the little nutcase?" Pietro asked. Wanda swatted him. "OW!" 

"I care about my team mates," Lance snapped. "And it's a damn good thing I do or else your head would be flying through the wall right now!"

"I didn't mean it," Pietro backed down. "I was just fooling around." 

"Well don't!" Althea snapped. The three of them left the room. "Okay now we gotta talk to Arcade. I gotta say that I have to congratulate him on his right hook. For a human kid who's never fought before, he did pretty well." 

"Hey anybody who takes down Pietro like that has to have some good qualities," Wanda snickered. 

"I'll go talk to the kid," Lance sighed. He went to Arcade's room. He knocked on the door. "Hey! Arcade! Got a minute? Arcade?" He opened the door slightly. 

Arcade was curled up in a corner of his room sobbing. "Go away!" He shouted.

"Come on kid," Lance sighed. "Talk to me. What have you got to be upset about? You won the fight." 

"HE DID NOT!" They heard Pietro from the next room. "OW! WANDA LET GO OF MY EAR! OW! OW!" The noise went further down the hall. 

"Come on," Lance said. "Tell me what's bugging you." 

"You're not mad at me for jumping on Quicksilver like that?" Arcade sniffed. "You don't hate me for attacking another mutant?" 

"Nah he had it coming," Lance sat down next to him. "Besides he shouldn't have mouthed off to you like that about…uh…Cerebro. You know." 

"You think I'm crazy," Arcade sighed.

"Kid I occasionally have conversations with an imaginary coyote," Lance told him. "I'm not really the one to judge." 

"Really?" Arcade blinked.

"Remember Magneto? My ex-boss?" Lance asked. "He doped me up with some stuff to enhance my mutation. It also gave me seizures and makes me go bonkers from time to time. And one of my visions involves a coyote that sounds exactly like Mr. Sensitive." He indicated Pietro with his thumb. "Believe me, I know where you're coming from." 

"Oh…" Arcade looked at him. 

"And let's face it, Pietro's a few quarters short of a dollar himself," Lance groaned. 

"I just got so mad when he said those things…" Arcade said. 

"Yeah well the important thing is that you stuck up for yourself," Lance told him. "Don't let him push you around. Got it?" 

"I know, it's just…It's just…"

"Just what kid? Come on, you can tell me." 

"I miss Cerebro! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Arcade sobbed heavily and clung to Lance for support. 

"Man and I thought I had relationship problems," Lance sighed. 

**Next up Pietro and Arcade learn to deal as they are sent off to punishment. Will they discover common ground or will Arcade beat up Pietro again?**

Pietro: HE DID NOT BEAT ME UP! HE GOT LUCKY! BESIDES YOU'RE THE MANIAC WRITING THIS STUPID THING! WHY ARE YOU TORTURING ME LIKE THIS? ARE YOU STILL MIFFED OVER SEASON 3? IS THAT IT? FOR CRYING OUT LOUD…

Todd:  Hey Arcade! Go beat up Pietro again! 

Pietro: WHAT? 


	5. Letting Go

**Letting Go**

"Well that was an eventful morning," Cover Girl remarked when Roadblock told her and the other adults of the day's events.

"Actually in a way it's kind of good that it happened," Shipwreck remarked.

"Good?" Low Light asked. "You gotta be kidding me?" 

"Now hear me out," Shipwreck raised his hand. "In the first place Arcade standing up for himself like that proved that he's no pushover. More importantly, he proved it to the others."

"Okay," Low Light folded his arms. "I'm with you so far."

"Second, our kids were mostly behind Arcade in the fight," Shipwreck said. "Not because he was human but because he was in the right, sort of. That proves that somehow our training is working."

"How?" Cover Girl asked.

"Hello? Humans and Mutants getting along?" Shipwreck asked. "Does that ring a bell?"

"Shipwreck…Both a human and a mutant boy were fighting," Roadblock pinched his nose.

"Yes but they were fighting over stupid things," Shipwreck said. "It wasn't exactly a race riot."

"I think I see what you are getting at," Spirit nodded.

"See Spirit gets it," Shipwreck said.

"Instead of fighting over humans vs. mutants they were fighting over insults," Spirit said.

"Well for these kids that's progress," Shipwreck frowned. "The point is the kids don't see Arcade as just some human kid. They're starting to treat him like one of them. Even to the point of insulting him over…well, personal issues rather than other ones." 

"I kind of get the point you are trying to make," Cover Girl nodded. "Warped as it is, the kids have accepted Arcade in a weird twisted way." 

"Well it's a start I admit," Roadblock sighed. "But that's just not it. That kid has a long way to go." 

************************************************************************

"You would think that they would come up with something more original than peeling potatoes for a punishment," Pietro scoffed as he casually whisked through his stack of potatoes. "I dunno. Maybe its army tradition or something."

"Just shut up will you?" Arcade said as he was still trying to peel his first potato. 

"Well I'm done," Pietro finished his huge pile effortlessly. Then he looked at Arcade's side. "Are you still on your first one? Oh man we're gonna be here all day! I think I'll do some of yours too."

"I don't need any help from you," Arcade hissed. "I'm doing fine!" With that his potato broke in half. "Oh great…" 

"Who says I'm doing it to help **you**?" Pietro grabbed a potato from Arcade's pile. "I just don't want to die of boredom here!" 

"Oh well I'm so sorry my problems are inconveniencing you!" Arcade snapped. "Clearly some of us don't have a life!" 

"Look I'm sorry okay?" Pietro snapped. "I just say stuff you know? My mouth is faster than my brain sometimes." 

"Obviously," Arcade grumbled as he picked up another potato and started to peel it.

"Well it's not like you're the only person I do it to," Pietro said. 

"So you're an equal opportunity jerk?" Arcade asked.

"Well yes," Pietro shrugged. "Even I'm not perfect all the time. But don't tell anyone I said that." 

Arcade slowed down on his peeling. "I can deal with the fact that I'm a human living with mutants," He said. "I can deal with peeling potatoes and training. At least here people talk **to** me. Not **at **me." 

"Let me take a wild guess," Pietro said. "Your parents are self absorbed jerks who only care about themselves? Been there! Done that way too long! At least yours didn't perform experiments on you to increase your potential and try to help them take over the planet!"

"Don't be so sure," Arcade said. "My first five years of my life were a whirlwind of one stupid activity after another to see if I was genius material. Ballet school, art school, tap classes…you name it." 

"I thought you are a genius," Pietro asked.

"How did you know that?"

"I read it on your file. I sneak in and read them from time to time. There's some real interesting reading material in there. But back to you. What? Being super smart wasn't enough for them?" 

"No, they expected it scholastic wise. But they were looking for me to be more artistic and all that stuff. I don't really understand it myself. I think they just got bored of me after I turned six and dumped me on any nanny or preschool they could find." 

"Well I can certainly relate to that," Pietro sighed. "My old man hasn't exactly done much for raising me or my sister. Not even a week after he locked her up in a mental institution he decides he can't stand the sight of me. So he ships me off to some friends of his to raise me. They were okay I guess. They were nice but not really hands on type of people. They let me do pretty much nearly anything I wanted so I got away with a lot of stuff." 

"Same here," Arcade said. "Half the year my parent's weren't even home. Out travelling and going to parties. As long as I didn't interrupt their social schedule they didn't care what I did!" 

"So we do have a lot more in common than I thought," Pietro said. "No wonder you bonded with Cerebro. I went a different route myself. The 'Let's Annoy Anyone in Sight' Route." 

"She was the only person who really understood me," Arcade looked miserable.

"Right," Pietro rolled his eyes. "Oh crap. We're bonding aren't we?" 

"It looks like it," Arcade looked at him. "We're not going to end up hugging and singing are we? I mean I'm not that far gone!"

"Don't worry," Pietro waved. "That's more like an X-Man's style." 

"X-Men…" Arcade's eye twitched. "I hate them!" 

"Me too," Pietro grinned. "Look we both have a lot in common. So why shouldn't we join forces?" 

"What do you have in mind?" Arcade asked.

"Oh I'm sure we can think of a few things," Pietro told him. "But right now it looks like you have a bigger problem."

"I do?"

"Yes, you're stuck in the past about Cerebro," Pietro whittled on a few more potatoes. "I mean you can't really enjoy your revenge on the X-Men until you get past…Well, the incident. You have to put it in perspective. That way you can focus on annoying the hell out of the X-Men!"

"So what should I do?" Arcade was clearly interested. 

"I think I know something that can help you," Pietro grinned.

************************************************************************

That evening there was a strange noise in the Misfit's back yard. "What the heck is going on here?" Roadblock asked as he and Shipwreck went out to investigate. There was Pietro in a priest's outfit. The rest of the Misfits were in black surrounding a small gravestone. A flower arrangement with a ribbon saying 'REST IN PEACE CEREBRO' was there as well. 

"Brothers and sisters!" Pietro shouted. "Tonight we grieve the departure of Cerebro who has gone to that giant circuit board in the sky! Can I get an Amen?"

"Amen!" The Misfits shouted.

"Can I get an Awoman?" Pietro shouted. "Well actually I can get a lot of women but that's not the point." 

"What is this?" Shipwreck asked. 

"Arcade needs closure," Pietro said. "We're giving it to him." 

"O-kay…" Shipwreck said. Then he whispered to Roadblock. "Back away slowly." They did so. 

"What's going on?" Low Light asked. The other adults were with him.

"A funeral," Shipwreck told him. "For Cerebro. And they seem to be enjoying it." 

"They're having a funeral for Cerebro?" Low Light blinked. "Oh god Arcade is fitting in better than we thought!" 

"It's official," Roadblock groaned. "He's one of them!" 

"I need a drink…" Cover Girl moaned. "Anybody else want one?" 

"Make it a double," Spirit told her. 


	6. Adaptation

**Adaptation**

Days passed. Arcade found that while his body was still exhausted after training, he was slowly getting used to it. He was also adapting to his environment in unusual ways. He especially spent more and more time with Todd and Xi and the three of them could normally be found doing little 'projects' together. 

"So what are you three doing this time?" Althea asked as she and Wanda walked into Todd and Xi's room.

"We're doing super secret spy stuff with Arcade!" Todd said happily. "He's fun!" 

"I'm glad you've found a little friend to play with," Althea patted him on the head. "So what are you doing?" 

"Making a few adjustments to my uniform," Arcade told them. He had on a black and gray uniform with his trusty computer hacking pack. His boots looked unusual. "I'm putting in a few gadgets like these spring boots, hidden lasers, night vision goggles…" 

"So with this stuff you're just as powerful as we are," Todd reasoned. 

"Well let's just say that this stuff evens the odds a little," Arcade told him. "Like these springs in my boots!" He got up and started to bounce. "They give me almost as much lift as Toad has naturally!"

"Cool! Hey let's try 'em out!" Todd hopped up and down. "Follow me!" 

"Lead the way!" Arcade shouted as he bounced after him. 

"It seems Arcade has a natural aptitude for weapons," Xi remarked. 

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM YOU LUNATICS!" Lance shouted from his room. The sound of several things crashing could be heard.

"Not to mention a natural aptitude for destruction," Wanda groaned.

Low Light and Roadblock watched the two boys happily bounce in the halls. "Okay how did the kids get into the coffee this time?" Roadblock groaned. 

"Boingy! Boingy! Boingy!" Arcade laughed as he bounced along the halls.

"Oh lord…" Roadblock groaned. 

"I guess this proves that you don't have to be crazy to be a Misfit," Low Light remarked. "Oh wait, actually you do." 

**Next: Arcade goes on an actual mission. This ought to be good. **


	7. Arcade's First Mission

**Arcade's First Mission**

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Low Light asked as they looked at the Cobra outpost from the perimeter. "I mean Arcade hasn't exactly been training that long with us." 

"He has the necessary computer expertise needed to get the files and find out what's going on there," Roadblock told him. "And all our other computer experts are on other missions. He'll be fine with the kids watching his back."

An explosion rocked the building. "You were saying?" Low Light told him.

"Let's move out!" Roadblock ordered. They advanced with a small squad of Greenshirts (Troops assigned to GI Joe). They saw a huge squadron of Cobra soldiers charging towards them. "Here we go! Yo Joe!"

"DON'T SHOOT!" One Cobra screamed.

"WE SURRENDER! WE SURRENDER!" Another yelled. 

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Another trooper's behind was on fire.

"What the…?" Low Light blinked. They went inside and saw the insanity. All the machines in the place had turned on the Cobras. Lasers were firing out of vehicles moving by themselves. Robots were chasing Cobras.

"WHO'S BRIGHT IDEA WAS TO CONNECT THE FREAKING OFFICE EQUIPMENT TO THE MAIN COMPUTER?" One scientist screamed as a few copier machines were chasing him, shooting out paper. 

"So who's watching whose back?" Low Light asked as they made their way to the control room. They saw Arcade having a ball at the controls while the rest of the Misfits were relaxing. "I take it you guys have this under control?" 

"It was easy," Lance yawned. "Once Arcade tapped into their computer he was able to use their own weapons and machines against them." 

"NO! NOT THE ELECTRIC STAPLERS! ANYTING BUT THAT!" A Cobra screamed. 

"It's good to see Arcade's getting rid of some of his frustration," Fred nodded. "It's so unhealthy for him to keep those feelings bottled up." 

"BURN! BURN! BURN!" Arcade laughed as he punched in the codes, setting off several flame-throwers. "YES BURN MY PRETTIES! BURN! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"And it's especially unhealthy for all those Cobras down there that he is expressing his emotions so freely," Lance remarked. "You know, something tells me he and Pyro would get along pretty well." 

"BURN! DESTROY! WRECK STUFF!" Arcade squealed with delight. Then he stopped. He looked at the others. "Uh…Did you guys want to blow stuff up too?"

"Nah you can take it all this mission," Todd waved. "We'll share next time."

"Okay," Arcade nodded. Then he went back to work. "BURN! BURN! KA-BOOOOOM! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" 

"Oh man this kid does fit in here!" Roadblock groaned. 


	8. An Eventful Night of Male Bonding

**An Eventful Night of Male Bonding**

"Wow that was great!" Arcade whooped as the Misfit boys settled in that evening. "That mission was awesome man!" 

"So what do you want to do to celebrate?" Pietro asked.

"Well I have some really cool computer specs I'd like to try," Arcade scratched his head. "Oh and maybe I can write up some new programs too!" 

"Wow Arcade you're a real wild man aren't you?" Pietro quipped. He whispered to Fred. "Geeze and I thought Xi was clueless." 

"Come on Arcade," Lance took Arcade and directed him outside. "You're gonna love this!" 

************************************************************************

"Gentlemen," Lance announced, "Tonight we formally induct Brother Arcade into the Fraternal Order of the Misfits!" 

Outside wearing war paint were Fred, Lance, Pietro, Todd and Xi. "Why aren't the females doing this again?" Xi asked.

"Because this is a guy thing Xi," Todd explained.

"But I'm not male either," Xi reminded him. "Technically."

"Close enough," Pietro remarked. "Come forth Brother Arcade!" 

Arcade was wearing war paint as well. "Guys if we end up naked beating tom toms I don't wanna play anymore." 

"Nah," Fred waved. "We're just going to do some guy stuff!"

"Like what?" Xi asked. 

"Like uh…" Fred looked at Lance. "What are we gonna do again?"

"Oh just leave it to me will ya?" Lance groaned. He picked up a torch and lit it with a lighter. "Arcade fire represents life…"

"So we're ripping off Survivor now?" Todd asked. "Somebody vote me off this island!" 

"Quiet!" Lance snapped. "I'm trying to officiate an important ceremony here!"

"You do this stuff every time someone new comes in?" Arcade asked. 

"Actually you're the first," Lance told him. "We're making it up as we go along."

"Oh that makes me feel much better," Arcade rolled his eyes.

"We are here to celebrate your victory," Lance ignored him. "We are here to honor you into our unit."

"You are kinda setting that shrub on fire," Arcade pointed. Lance's torch was too close to a shrub and sparks ignited it.

"YIKES!" Lance backed up. 

"Way to go genius!" Pietro groaned. 

"I knew I should have stayed with Althea and Wanda!" Xi groaned. 

Meanwhile Althea and Wanda were looking out from the upstairs window. "What are they doing?" Wanda asked.

"Setting the lawn on fire by the looks of it," Althea remarked. 

"Yep, it's just like what used to happen in the Brotherhood," Wanda nodded. "Should we help them?"

"YEOW THAT'S HOT!" Pietro yelled. "TOAD MAKE WITH THE SLIME!" 

"Nah," Althea waved. "They didn't want us to play with them in the first place. Let 'em clean up their own mess. Wanna make some popcorn?" 

"Sure," Wanda nodded as they left for the kitchen. "Why not?" 

***********************************************************************

"Okay so that didn't exactly go the way we wanted it to," Todd hopped into Arcade's room later. "But I think we bonded well."

"If by bonding you mean nearly spending the night in the infirmary with third degree burns…" Arcade grumbled. "Hey I nearly forgot to check my computer."

"That's a weird looking computer," Todd looked at the black assortment of modems and screens. 

"I built it myself. I figure I can use it to look for mutants like Cerebro, only without psychic powers," Arcade fiddled with the controls. "Hey! I got something on a police scanner. It's picking up a call coming from the town of Short Creek, Nevada." 

"You can pick up stuff from that far away?" Todd scratched his head.

"With this baby I can pick up nearly any signal I want," Arcade told him. "It's able to link into any computer via the Internet as well as scan for radio signals. I programmed it to scan for any thing concerning mutants but nothing so far until tonight." 

The scanner sizzled. "Repeat, mutant is suspected of murder. Extremely dangerous. Wait for backup! Wait for backup!" 

"Murder?" Todd asked. 

"I'm going to cross reference the data into my computer," Arcade grabbed his laptop. "I've got it. Oh man this does not look good!" 

"Holy cow!" Todd's eyes widened. "We gotta tell the others!" 

"Guys!" Arcade shouted to the rest of the Misfits. "Listen up! I think I just found a new mutant! And he's in trouble!" 


	9. Along Came A Spyder

**Along Came a Spyder**

"Well its about time somebody came down and took care of this menace," Chief of Police Smith sighed as he showed Roadblock and Cover Girl into his office. "If only I'd known there was an agency that deals with these things I'd have called weeks ago." 

"So what can you tell me about the case?" Roadblock decided it was best to press on for now. 

"Two weeks ago we got a tip that there was some suspicious activity in the area," Smith told him. "Now for quite a while we've had some mutant sightings in the town but we haven't been able to confirm them. The officers got a tip that someone on Mulberry St. may have been harboring a mutant. At the exact same time they pulled onto the street a call came into dispatch requesting an ambulance from the very house suspected. The former resident was a Mrs. Ida Walker. We had some code violation problems with her before. You know the type, lonely old broad with about a dozen or so cats in the place? Well it turns out she was starting a new kind of collection." 

"She was harboring the mutant?" Roadblock asked.

"Got it in one," Smith told him. "More like feeding it scraps. Officers arrived before the ambulance and found the mutant over the old woman lying on the floor. They tried to apprehend the suspect, but the mutant escaped. We've been hunting it nearly non stop since then along with a few other concerned citizens." 

"By 'other concerned citizens' are we talking about the FOH?" Cover Girl asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

"No," Smith looked at her. "Just regular folks who are trying to protect their families. In case you haven't noticed this isn't exactly LA lady. All we have around here is desert, desert and more desert. There's only about ten thousand people in this city if you can call it that. And half of them are probably illegal immigrants. And our mayor just got indited on fraud charges. As you can see organization isn't exactly our strong suit." 

"What do you know about this mutant?" Roadblock asked.

"Not much," Smith shook his head. "Before the incident there have been some sightings around town. Grey skin, able to stick to walls, apparently female we're not sure."

"Did she kill the old woman?" Cover Girl asked.

"Technically we don't think so," He told her. "Autopsy confirmed it was a heart attack. Lady was in her eighties, ate a lot of junk food so it wasn't much of a shock."

"Then why didn't you make it known that the mutant had nothing to do with her death?" Cover Girl asked.

"Hey for all we know that thing scared her or something. You know maybe triggered the whole thing?" Smith looked at her. "Besides we don't need a wild mutant running around here causing trouble. We have enough problems with the normal criminals lady!" 

"You said so yourself that she didn't kill the old woman," Roadblock pointed out.

"So? She's a thief, caused property damaged and has been terrorizing this community for some time. I'd call that criminal. Hey if you army types want that mutant, you are more than welcome to it that's all I can say."

"Her," Cover Girl glared at him. "This isn't some alligator from the sewers. It's probably a child." 

"Oh yeah?" An officer walked in. "Lady that 'child' just took out two of our guys with some kind of weird webbing. She's like some two legged electrical spider!"

"When was this?" Roadblock asked.

"By the warehouse district not even twenty minutes ago," He told her. 

"We'd better roll out," Roadblock told Cover Girl. "Call the others."

************************************************************************

"This is where the last sighting was," Lance looked around the area. The Misfits were searching for the mutant. Roadblock was able to convince the police to give them to blockade the streets surrounding and allow the Misfits to work. 

"I found something," Xi remarked. He pointed to a strand of some kind of glowing webbing. "I think it may have some electric residue. I would not touch it." 

"Great a spider girl that shoots out electric webs," Pietro remarked. "That's handy." 

"The tracks are faint but they lead to that warehouse," Xi pointed. 

"Let's take this easy," Althea said. "We don't want to frighten her. I'll go in with Toad and Arcade. The rest of you cover the exits in case she gets by us. Don't come in after us unless you hear from me on the communicator. Got it?" 

"Got it," Arcade nodded. 

Althea, Arcade and Todd went inside the warehouse. It was filled with odd webbing. "Try not to touch them," Althea said. "They could still be electric."

"I don't think so," Arcade took out a scanner and analyzed them. "It seems they loose their electric charge after a period of time. These webs have been here a while so I'm not sure how long the charge lasts." 

"Oh that's lovely. Hello?" Todd called out. "Hello! Anybody here?"

"Over there," Arcade pointed using his night vision goggles. "She's hiding over there on the wall."

"Oh thanks a lot pal!" Someone crawled down from the shadows and confronted them. She was wearing a gray sweatshirt with jeans and a gray backpack. The hood covered her face. 

"It's just a little kid," Todd remarked. 

"Don't call me that!" The child removed the gray hood to reveal an angry pair of gray eyes. Strands of very dark gray peppered with light gray hair cascaded behind her. Her skin was gray as well. Everything about the girl was gray but her attitude. "What's a matter? Never seen a mutant before?" 

"Every day when I look in the mirror," Todd joked. He shot his tongue out and caught an errant fly. "Sorry about that, needed a snack." 

Her eyes were wide with wonder for a second, then recovered. The gray skinned mutant looked at them defiantly. "The name's Spyder, with a Y! Are you looking for a fight?" 

"Why? Do you want to fight?" Althea cocked her eyebrow.

"I can take you!" She sniffed angrily.

"Really?" Althea put her hands on her hips. 

"You won't take me without a fight!" Spyder snapped.

"Take you where?" Althea asked. "Just where do you think we were gonna take you? Jail?"

"I know you're with those army guys so don't play dumb with me!" Spyder snapped. "You're not going to dissect me!" 

"We weren't planning on dissecting you in the first place," Arcade said. "We just wanna talk." 

"Liar!" Spyder shot out here electric webbing at him. Todd barely dragged Arcade out of the way. But it did hit his scanner.

"Oh man and I just got all the bugs out of it," Arcade grumbled as he looked at the ruined contraption on the ground. 

"You're not taking me anywhere without a fight!" Spyder growled.

"Okay," Althea folded her arms. "You're on. But let's make this interesting shall we? Just you and me. If I win, you come with me without a fuss. But if you win, we'll go and leave you alone. And just to make it really interesting, I won't use my powers but you can use yours. Think you can handle it?" 

Spyder looked back and forth. "No powers? Okay…You got a deal. Just let me put my backpack down." 

"Al there's no water around here," Todd whispered.

"So? She don't know what my powers are," Althea winked. "Okay kid let's go! Come on, let's see what a shrimp like you got!" 

"Call me a shrimp will ya?" Spyder lunged at her shooting the webbing. Althea dodged it easily. Spyder then tried to kick her but she blocked it. 

"So you've had some martial arts training," Althea observed as she easily blocked Spyder's punches and kicks. "Not bad for a newbie."

"NEWBIE! I've been doing martial arts since I was seven!" Spyder screamed as she shot out some more webs. Althea did a backflip and dodged them easily. 

"Damnit! Hold still!" Spyder snapped. 

"I thought I was being still," Althea grinned as she easily dodged the webs. "You really should work on your aim kid."

"SHUT UP!" Spyder screamed as she rushed towards Althea.

"You're pretty sloppy kid," Althea told her. 

"SHUT UP YOU WITCH AND FIGHT ME!" Spyder screamed. 

"Well if you insist," Althea speeded up and punched Spyder in the gut. The girl let out a gasp and doubled over. Then Althea gave her a light tap on the back of the head and she went out like a light. "Well that was a fun minute and…" She checked her watch. "Twenty five seconds. Arcade, get her backpack. Toad you carry her." 

"You didn't hurt her did ya?" Arcade asked as he got her backpack.

"Nah, just gave her a tap," Althea waved. "Only thing I really hurt was her pride. She'll come around in a few seconds. Besides I wasn't in any real danger. Look how thin she is. I could tell she was too weak to throw a decent punch as soon as she started. And like I said, her aim with those webs of hers is way off." 

"She really don't look so good," Todd remarked as he carried her. 

"Ooohhh," Spyder groaned as she woke up. "What happened?"

"What do you think?" Todd looked at her.

"Here," Althea gave her a drink of water from her canteen. "Come on now. You may be a tough kid but not even you can fight well on an empty stomach, or dehydrated." 

Spyder reluctantly took the drink. "I lost didn't I?"

"Yeah but if you really want to die of hunger in a rat infested place like this…" Althea waved her arm around. Spyder lowered her eyes. "Didn't think so. Look kid I don't blame you for trying to show how tough you are. It's a tough world and it's hard enough to survive on your own. But let's face facts, right now you need help. So who better to help you than fellow mutants?" 

"I know we're kind of a weird group, running with humans and all," Todd remarked. "And I know you probably hate 'em but…"

"I do not hate humans!" Spyder snapped. "Well not all of 'em anyway. I mean that lady, Mrs. Walker. She was real nice to me. Gave me food and…" Her eyes widened. "Look! I didn't kill her! You gotta believe me!"

"We know," Todd said. "And so do the cops. She had a heart attack. Natural causes. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So they just decided to hunt me because I'm a mutant huh?" Spyder grumbled.

"Got it in one," Althea sighed. "But like you probably have figured out, not all of 'em are like that. Our humans are good people. Hey my Dad's human and he's pretty cool. And that red headed kid over here, he's human but he's one of us as well." 

"Name's Arcade," He waved. "I'm very good with computers." 

"We just wanna help you kid," Todd said. "I promise we'll tell you everything as soon as we get some food in ya. So what do you say?" 

Spyder looked at the two of them. "Well…I am kind of hungry," She admitted. 

"Come on kid," Althea waved. "Toad help her will ya?"

"I can do it myself," Spyder grumbled as Todd carried her outside. She managed to break out of his grasp but then fell face down on the ground. 

"This is the evil terror that's been plaguing this town?" Pietro mocked as he stood over her. "Oh I am so scared."

"Shut up Whitey…" Spyder struggled to get up. 

"That's Quicksilver," Todd told her. "Ignore him. We do." 

"I got her," Lance took Spyder in his arms. 

"I can walk myself…" Spyder grumbled.

"No you can't," Lance told her. "You just rest now kiddo. The name's Avalanche by the way."

"Avalanche?" She looked at him.

"Let's just say to don't want to make him mad," Todd pointed out. 

"Geeze she's practically skin and bones!" Pietro remarked.

"Why don't you say it a little louder?" Arcade snapped. "I don't think they heard you down the block!" 

"I'm fine…" Spyder grumbled. "I'm…." She then passed out.

"I told you she didn't look so good!" Todd remarked. 

"We'd better get her to Lifeline pronto," Althea nodded. 


	10. New Members of the Family

**New Members of the Family**

The next day the Misfit adults were discussing their newest charge. "I'm glad we put in an infirmary in the Misfit House," Roadblock said. "The kid can rest and recover here. How is she?" 

"We were lucky we found her when we did," Cover Girl said. "Lifeline told me that she's suffering from severe malnutrition as well as exhaustion. If she was out there any longer she could have died within a week." 

"I can't believe Xavier didn't pick her up earlier or something," Shipwreck shook his head.

"Hey even Cerebro wasn't perfect," Arcade admitted as he and the other Misfits showed up. "It did miss an occasional mutant from time to time, mostly if their powers were low level or just beginning to evolve." 

"And he hasn't exactly had time to go recruit every mutant out there," Todd remarked. "Let's face it, there are just too many of us out there for him to get 'em all. But that's where we come in!" 

"You did a good job Arcade," Althea put her hand on his shoulder. "So did you find anything out about the kid?" 

"She wouldn't say anything much about her family but what I gathered was that she's not exactly missed by 'em," Cover Girl said. "She was abandoned the very day the Sentinel attacked and mutants were revealed." 

"Oh man that's rough," Lance folded his arms. "So she's been on her own all this time?"

"Yeah, which explains her attitude," Cover Girl said. "And her potty mouth."

"Really?" Althea raised an eyebrow. 

"She didn't like having a bath," Cover Girl smirked. "And that hair of hers we have got to do something with it. She's pretty wild actually." 

"Cover Girl she's twelve," Shipwreck waved. "She'll be fine." 

"That's the same attitude you had with Althea and the triplets," She reminded him. "Speaking of which those three are in there already making friends." She indicated with a nod. Inside the room the triplets were happily chatting with Spyder. 

Spyder was on the bed wearing hospital pajamas that seemed way too big for her. You could see the bones through her skin. An IV unit was running in her arm. Yet despite her condition she seemed to be quite animated. Her waist length hair was shinier now that it was clean and her eyes seemed to sparkle more. 

"HEY YOU TRICKED ME!" Spyder shouted as Althea and Todd walked in. "You said you wouldn't use your powers but you couldn't use them anyway!"

"Well you should have asked what my powers were in the first place should you?" Althea grinned. "Not that I needed them…" 

"Show off!" Daria snapped. "She's always like that just because she's older…"

"And bigger…" Quinn rolled her eyes.

"And stronger than us!" Brittany finished.

"Don't forget greater, faster, more attractive and just plain smarter," Althea grinned.

"In your dreams!" Quinn stuck her tongue out at her. 

"Spyder this is Roadblock," Cover Girl introduced. "He's in charge of the Misfits."

"Are you the one that's a mutant?" Spyder asked. 

"No that's Low Light," Daria explained. "Enhanced mutant technically." 

"What's that?" Spyder asked.

"Someone who's born with a dormant X-gene but it was activated by artificial means," Quinn told her.

"In English?" Spyder raised an eyebrow.

"It was turned off at birth but later scientific stuff turned it on," Brittany said. 

"Weird," Spyder shrugged. "Course I've always been gray. The crawling on the walls and the web thing I've only been able to do for the past few months. But every time I use my webbing I get tired."

"It takes a lot out of your system," Cover Girl explained. "You need to eat more than normal humans do to keep up your strength."

"Could barely eat at all on the run," Spyder grumbled. "And I was stuck in that town. No trains or anything and I couldn't hitchhike. Town was surrounded by desert so I couldn't walk. I was lucky to find a warehouse to hide in." 

"Don't worry baby girl," Roadblock waved. "We'll fatten you up in no time." 

Spyder glared at him. "I am not a baby!" 

"Yeah you're a tough little kid all right," Arcade snickered. 

"I am tough," Spyder glared at him. "My uncle taught me martial arts before he died. Only member of my family that gave a damn about me." 

"I can relate to that. Look I know how scary it is coming into a new situation," Arcade told her. "Especially when everyone you thought cared about you ditched you. But it's not so bad here. Look at me."

"Well…" Spyder looked around. "I guess if they'd take you…I mean a human. No offense."

"None taken," Arcade grinned. "So what is your real name? Mine's Webber Torque."

"You're kidding?" Spyder looked at him. "And I thought Ollie was bad."

"Ollie?" Pietro raised an eyebrow. 

"Short for Olivia," Spyder admitted sheepishly. "Olivia Osnick. But I hate my name! My dad called me Ollie for short before…" Her lips shut quickly.

"Okay, so we'll call you Spyder," Althea waved, picking up her uneasiness. "No big deal. A lot of mutants dump their original names." 

"Spyder fits you better anyway," Todd waved. "Kinda like that dude Spider Man in New York."

"You know about him?" Spyder blinked. 

"Yeah some of us even met the guy," Pietro told her. "He's pretty cool for non mutant with superpowers."

"He's not a mutant?" Spyder looked disappointed. Then she brightened. "Oh well. He's still cool! That's how I decided on my name! I saw some magazine articles about the guy! They're in my bag! How do you know him? How did he get his powers? Is he a good fighter?" 

"Slow down," Lance laughed. "One question at a time." 

"You'll answer them all later," Cover Girl said. "She gets tired easily and needs a lot of rest."

"I'm fine," Spyder yawned. "Okay maybe I'm a little tired." She lay back on the bed.

Lance pulled the blankets over her. "Come on kiddo," Althea told her. "You get some sleep and after your nap I'll tell you all about Spider Man." 

"Really?" Spyder asked sleepily. "Promise?"

"Promise," Lance nodded. He mussed up her hair. "Now get some rest." 

"Well…" Spyder closed her eyes. "Maybe I'll just rest my eyes for a few minutes." She dropped off to sleep almost immediately. 

The Misfits quietly filed out. "Poor kid," Pietro frowned. "It's lucky we found her."

"Arcade found her," Todd pointed out. 

"Well he's one of us so same difference!" Pietro snapped. "Come on, let's play video games!" 

They went off to relax. Cover Girl and Roadblock stayed behind. "Did you hear that?" Roadblock raised an eyebrow. 

"One of us," Cover Girl repeated. "We've made a lot of progress."

"One kid getting along with mutants may be small, but it's better than nothing at all," Roadblock told her. 

"DIE! DIE! DIE!" Arcade could be heard laughing in the next room. 

"Arcade! Stop dancing on the table will ya?" Althea shouted. 

"Of course let's not forget the kid's a few microchips short of a computer," Cover Girl groaned. 

"Well let's just say he still has a ways to go in that department," Roadblock sighed. "Just like the other Misfits." 

**A hundred Brownie Points to those of you who can figure out where I got the inspiration for Spyder. (Hint, think about her name from some of the old comics) **

Well there are the first two new Misfit recruits. Don't worry, there will be more! 


End file.
